1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ignition timing controlling apparatus for an engine and to a vehicle incorporating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ignition timing controlling apparatus which changes over an ignition timing of the engine between a torque-valuing ignition timing and a fuel-conserving ignition timing, and to a vehicle incorporating the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
The Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-226131 discloses a controlling technique for suppressing, in a power outputting apparatus which changes over an operation line for setting an operation point of an engine between an optimum fuel consumption line and a torque priority line for higher torque with respect to a rotary speed than the optimum fuel consumption line to set an operation point of the engine, a sense of incongruity provided to a driver by an increase of the engine speed when the operation line is changed over from the torque priority line to the optimum fuel consumption line.
However, in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-226131, the operation line is changed over between the torque priority line and the optimum fuel consumption line so as not to provide a sense of incongruity to the driver. However, it is not disclosed to carry out such control that a good running state is obtained in a transitional state during changeover of the operation line.
Therefore, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an ignition timing controlling apparatus for an engine which controls the ignition timing of an engine so as to prevent degradation of drivability in a transitional state upon changeover between a torque-valuing ignition timing and a fuel-conserving ignition timing to achieve a good running state.